Plot

The series features the fictional adventures of Jackie Chan, who is an archaeologist, martial arts expert and reluctant secret agent in the series. With help from his niece Jade, his grumpy old uncle (simply known as "Uncle") and his old friend Captain Black, he saves the world from evil forces that attempt to use magical artifacts to rule the world. Later seasons included other supporting characters that comprised the world-saving "J-Team". He often works for the spy group Section 13 against the criminal organization 'The Dark Hand' and various evil and supernatural forces. The first season involved the pursuit of 12 magical talismans. Subsequent seasons featured talisman powers, but more prominently involved Jackie Chan's pursuit of other magical items. While he travels around the world, Jackie lives in San Francisco, California, where both Section 13 and Uncle's Antique Shop are located. Note Jackie's adventure suit changed colors. In season one the color was beige and khaki. In season 2-5 it was just khaki.

Characters

Jade - Jackie's niece from Hong Kong who is staying with him. Highly adventurous and impulsive, she constantly wants to get into the action.

Uncle - Jackie's grumpy old uncle who owns an antique shop and is also a good Chi wizard.

Tohru - A huge Japanese man who claims to be "too small for Sumo." Originally a Dark Hand criminal, he becomes Uncle's apprentice in the 2nd season and remains with the Chans for the rest of the series.

Captain Black - the leader of secret spy organization 'Section 13' and an old friend of Jackie.

The Seasons

Season One - The Twelve Talismans

(13 episodes) Jackie is recruited by Section 13 to search for twelve magic talismans scattered across the world, in order to stop a criminal organization known as the Dark Hand from using them to revive an ancient demon sorcerer, Shendu. When the tiger talisman is split in half, so is Jackie, and his dark half hands over the talismans, allowing the Dark Hand to reanimate Shendu. Shendu travels to China to summon his dragon army to destroy all of Asia. Jackie pulls the talismans out of Shendu, causing him to transform back into a statue, and Jade destroys him. However, this leaves a vacuum to be filled by a new evil force.

Season Two - The Demon Portals

(39 episodes) Shendu has possessed Valmont and is trying to bring his brothers and sisters - the Demon Sorcerers - into this world through a series of mystic portals, located with the magic Pan'ku box. Jackie must stop this to save the world. After initial failure, Shendu's spirit possesses Jackie as previously planned and travels to Australia, rewriting the Book of Ages so that the demons were never banished and now rule the world, with no one remembering their now-alternate lives. But Jade had managed to retain her memories and, with the help of the J-Team, changes the world back. In this series there are also a large number of "filler" episodes, where Jackie goes off on his own adventures, involving minor criminal organisations and other bandits, Spring Heeled Jack, the Monkey King, as well as more grisly ones with beings such as the Jiangshi and the Chupacabra, and occasional run ins with Dark Hand members. There are also three episodes set during the time period of Season One. At the end of the season, the Dark Chi Wizard Daolon Wong was introduced, who after having been foiled in his long-term plan to engulf the world in dark chi, pursued the Talisman powers, paving the way for the events of Season Three.

Season Three - The Animal Powers

(17 episodes) When Section 13 is infiltrated by the Dark Hand and the evil Chi wizard Daolon Wong, Jackie destroys the twelve talismans to keep them from being used for evil. This results in the twelve powers being spread all over the world, each taking up residence in one of twelve "noble" animals. Daolon Wong is searching for these magic powers, and it is up to Jackie to try to stop him before he gains them all. In the end almost all animals with these powers are kept in section 13 (Daolon Wong manages to acquire the Rooster and Pig powers however). The only remaining power - from the Dragon Talisman - is lost since there are no more dragons in existence. To acquire the power, Daolon Wong resurrects Shendu, who then goes on a rampage and reclaims all of the Talisman powers. Section 13 arrests Daolon Wong and the Enforcers while Uncle uses the same spell from before to turn Shendu back into stone and recreate the Twelve Talismans. Shendu is stored in Section 13's vault.

Season Four - The Masks of the Shadowkhan

(13 episodes) Tarakudo, the King of the Shadowkhan, is awakened by Daolon Wong. Taking the Enforcers as his servants, he sets off to find the legendary nine Oni masks which, when worn, each release a new type of Shadowkhan. Jackie battles the King of the Shadowkhan to stop him from plunging the world into eternal shadow. Sometime during this season Shendu's son, Drago, travels back in time from the future in a plan to bring back his father but is defeated and detained in Section 13.

Season Five - The Demon Powers

(13 episodes) Drago escapes from Section 13 and sets off to find the seven magic objects that imprisoned the other Demon Sorcerers, which possess traces of their demon chi that would allow Drago to assimilate their powers. Jackie, Jade, Tohru and Uncle set off to stop him. In every episode of Season Five, the dragon talisman will appear at least once and at most three times during movie play.

Magic and the Supernatural

Talismans

Rat: Power of Animation. "Motion to the Motionless" Gives inanimate objects life. When Shendu was under the spell of Lo Pei, this talisman was required to maintain his form if the Talismans were used to free him from statue form. Found in an ancient Chinese lantern.

Ox: Power of Super Strength. Found in an ancient Mexican temple. Found by Jackie on the mask of El Toro Fuerte. In the episode "The Amazing T-Troop", it increased Jade's muscle size.

Tiger: Power of Balance. When halved, it also splits the user's positive and negative halves (Yin and Yang) into two separate beings, each holding a half of the talisman. Can also be used to find the "other half" of a broken object. The two beings rejoin when they reunite the broken talisman. Was found within a pie.

Rabbit: Power of Super Speed. Was found stuck in the shell of a tortoise in the Pacific.

Dragon: Power of Combustion. Allows explosive energy to be discharged from the talisman. Valmont fused it on his hand. Found in a volcanic cave.

Snake: Power of Invisibility. Found in a secret passage in a cave, near the Amazon River. Found by Jackie in a museum. Another is found in one of the eyes of American Presidents' statue at Mount Rushmore. Jackie discovered that it is a fake to lure him but it was already too late because he is poisoned by Valmont's potion received from Shendu, that slowly turns him into a statue.

Horse: Power of Healing. It can "expel all alien forces within," curing the user of illness (foreign bodies), and can also heal physical injuries, repair broken objects and instantly relieve physical pain and disorientation. Found within a structure atop an unnamed mountain.

Sheep: Power of Astral Projection, or the ability to eject the soul from the body and wander as an invisible spirit and able to enter a person's dreams. It was first found in a crate.

Monkey: Power of Shapeshifting. Any item/person/animal may be changed into the shape of any animal. Found in Micronesia, underwater.

Dog: Power of Immortality. "The Dog is best friend to Man, it restores youthful energy and grants Eternal Life"; it can negate the effects of aging (the user won't turn young again, but they will feel as though they have) and make them invulnerable, (this was humorously pointed out when Finn collided with a bridge while atop a moving train and responded with a painful groan,) but only for as long as the user is in contact/wearing the talismen. Found in a wall of a Bavarian windmill.

Pig: Power of Heat Vision. Found on a Bavarian clock tower mechanical pig with cymbals.

Chi Magic

In the universe of Jackie Chan Adventures, several characters can use a form of magic using chi energy. Chi magic involves the use of potions, magic objects, and incantations. Below are some of the Chi incantations that have been used throughout the series. Each wizard usually uses the same incantation but can accomplish many different effects, ranging from banishing demons to turning living creatures to stone.

U Mo Gwai Gwaai Fy Deat Zao-The main good incantation of the series, this spell is used most often by Uncle. It is used for multiple purposes, including: banishing Shendu from Jade's body, returning the Demon Sorcerers to the Netherworld, turning Shendu to stone, and extracting the Demon Chi of the Demon Sorcerers. The incantation is actually Cantonese for "spirits, demons, ghosts and monsters quickly go away " (妖魔鬼怪快哋走).

Lai Sui Sai-The incantation used by Bai Tza during her attempt to flood San Francisco. It is possibly 'Lai Shui Zai(来水灾)' in Chinese. It means 'Occur, flood' or 'Come, flood' if there is a comma between the '来' and '水'. The spell circle that this spell needs has a '水' at the middle of it, in Chinese, meaning 'Water'.

Kwai Kwitchi Kai-Incantation used by Shendu (in Jackie's body) to open the portal to the Book Of Ages.

Nukeru, He Men Jaaku-The Japanese incantation used for the removal of Oni Masks. It is also used to imprison Tarakudo in his Oni Mask. Can be translated as "Come out, evil spell." (抜ける,経面邪悪) The 'Oni' word refers to ghost in Japanese, while some Japanese ghosts looks like ogre. That explains Tarakudo and his Oni Generals' appearance.

A non-chi spell called Ex Metu Veres that the Magisters used when they stole Stonehenge was also invoked. Neither Chinese nor of any relevance to Chi magic. Latin: "Out of fear, truth." This spell appears to have the same versatility as other forms of magic. Daolon Wong's incantations - as of present - are indecipherable.

References to pop culture

During an episode in Season Three, the TV Jade is watching switches to a picture of a man in a yellow jumpsuit with black stripes down the sides. The man is Bruce Lee, and the movie she is watching is Game of Death.

"Enter ... the Viper" and Season 3's "Re-Enter the J Team" are references to Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon also the fight sequences in Jade's dreams are a spoof on the sequences from the 1999 film The Matrix

Season 2's "Showdown in the Old West" borrows nearly the entire premise of Blazing Saddles.

Season 3's "Shrink Wrap", Jackie and Hak Foo find themselves shrunken to the size of ants and eventually end up inside of Tohru's ear. When Uncle and the gang realize where the two are, and that it's too late to stop the spell, Jade asks if Tohru's brain is going to go 'Scanner' on them in reference to the head exploding scenes in the movie.

The episode "Scouts Honor" includes a reference to The Godfather trilogy when Jade is watching TV, a man on screen says, "Just when I get out they keep pulling me back in!" This line is later said by Jade when she is forced to return to the Buttercup Scouts.

The episode "Half a Mask of Kung-Fu" Jackie Chan's team and the Dark Hand were searching for the mask online at an auction. The usernames "Chantastic 4" and "Finn Halen" are plays on the comic book The Fantastic Four and the rock band Van Halen, respectively.

The Maltese Falcon is seen as part of a criminal's art collection in the second season episode "Enter the Cat".

In the episode "Jolly J-Team Xmas" Jade gets a game titled "Super Moose 2: Antler Gear Solid", in which Jackie says "Metal version". This is a reference to the Metal Gear Solid video game series.

The Season Three episode "Attack of the J-Clones" has Jackie and his clone reenact the famous mirror scene from the Marx Brother's movie Duck Soup.

In the Episode "Return of the Pussycat", Spring-heeled jack, a troll able to jump great distances is released from his stone prison by exposure to water, he is returned to his stone state when he was exposed to salt.

References to Jackie Chan's Film Career

There are many references to the real Jackie's live-action film career in the cartoon:

When Jackie first meets Jade in the first episode he assumes that she doesn't speak English when she refuses to talk to him, to find out later that she does. This is a reference to the film Rush Hour, when Jackie's character first arrives in America and Chris Tucker's character assumes he doesn't speak English.

Also in the first episode, Tohru blows up a building that Jackie is on top of. As it is collapsing, Jackie runs down the slanted side of the building just like he does at the end of Who Am I?

Animated Jackie's all beige/khaki clothes are also similar in appearance to the real Jackie in his film Armour of God. A second season episode was titled "Armour of the Gods" reference to his film Armour of God.

In the first episode entitled The Dark Hand, Jackie fights Finn, Ratso and Chow in a playground. There is a similar playground fight scene in the Jackie Chan film Police Story 2.

In another first season episode Tough Break, Jackie is seen waterskiing with a cast on his leg. This is a reference to the waterskiing scene from the Jackie Chan film Rumble in the Bronx where Jackie performed the scene with a disguised cast under his costume. Jackie had broken his ankle shooting a prior stunt where he jumped onto a passing hovercraft.

The episode Project A, For Astral is homage to Jackie's film Project A.

The Season Two episode Showdown in the Old West has Jackie's ancestor during the Old West looking just like Shanghai Noon. Another episode from season 2 is titled "Shanghai Moon"(instead of 'Noon') where Jackie fights the Moon Demon.

The Season Two episode And He Does His Own Stunts is a reference to Jackie's stunt work in his movies.

In The Tiger and the Pussycat, Jackie splits into "good" and "evil" twins. Jackie Chan played dual roles in The Twin Dragons, one is a musical conductor and the other was the lost twin who is the only one with martial arts moves. Another possible reference can be seen during the fight between "light" and "dark" versions of Jackie in Tiger and the Pussycat where "Light" Jackie fights balancing onto makeshift stilts; using a ladder split vertically by "dark" Jackie. In the Jackie Chan film, Police Story 4: First Strike (known as Jackie Chan's First Strike in the US), Jackie has a fight scene whilst wearing stilts.

In a Season 3 episode, Jackie is bitten by a snake. The poison affects him, putting him in a drunken state, which he uses to his advantage. This is an allusion to Jackie's movie Drunken Master as well as 'Who Am I?' where a race driver is bitten by a snake. Another possible "Drunken Master" reference appears in season 5, in the episode "Clash of the Titanics." Jackie (wearing SCUBA gear) explores a sunken ship which holds the chi of the thunder demon, Tchang Zu. Jackie, pursued by Strikemaster Ice and his gang, is forced to surface too quickly and gets "the bends," a condition which makes him delusional, i.e., drunken.

During the episode when Jade went back in time to Jackie's childhood, adult Jackie and young Uncle perform the same double team technique that Jackie Chan used in Rush Hour with Chris Tucker. Jackie did this similar technique with Viper in the Season One Episode Enter...The Viper when they were fighting Shadowkhan atop a giant Parade Balloon.

Another scene pays homage to Jackie Chan's trademark act, where he fights against a number of enemies while talking on the phone.

The Episode "Half a Mask of Kung Fu" from season 4 is a reference to Jackie's directorial debut, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu.

The Season 2 episode name "Rumble in the Big House" is a reference to Jackie's movie, Rumble in the Bronx.

In the episode " The Power Within" Jackie fights the bad guys in a restaurant, that is similar to the restaurant fight in Police Story 2

The episode titled "Glove Story" is similar to Jackie's film Police Story.

In one episode, Jackie fights in an aquarium with a shark almost eating him, while a parent and child watch. This is a reference to Jackie Chan's First Strike.